Our solo morning routine

I haven't figured out what time of the day is the busiest for us; it's either 8:00 in the morning when we have seven kids that are all hungry at the same time or between the hours of 5 & 7 in the evening when seven kids again need to be fed, bathed and put to bed and the babies are having what we call the "bewitching" hour. This bewitching hour is not the same as happy hour by any means. The other morning I decided to capture how we do the morning routine if Paul or I are alone. It does not show the three older kids routine so just know that they do get fed, teeth brushed, hair done and clothes on somewhere in between the following.

When the babies wake in the morning they were ready to eat five minutes ago. They are now sleeping from 8pm-7am and so this equals four screaming babies in the morning.

If Paul and I are both home then he will change all of their diapers while I pump and then we both feed two babies but if we are solo than we use the bottle props and feed them in their room.

We have been doing it this way since the beginning of December and it has been working great. We feed the babies (we never leave the room and they are always supervised) using these cheap bottle propers from abcdistributing.com except for Tate who's bottle does not fit. By using their night time blankets and tipping the props upside down they work great. We can also work with the babies on putting their hands on the bottle in the hope that sooner rather than later they will be able to hold their own bottle. They had been sleeping in rock n' plays so it was easy to just prop the bottle and go but we have transitioned them out of the rock n' plays and they are now sleeping in their cribs like big boys and girls. We still keep the rock n' plays in their room so we just have to set them up and we are off.

While the babies eat we, or Aubrey, will pick out their clothes for the day and have them all ready on the changing table. They do get dressed every day even if we don't go any where. They then get jammies on after their bath in the evening. As each kiddo finishes their bottle they get burped and put down on the play mat for some play time.

The last one to finish their bottle is the first to get their diaper changed and dressed.

The others wait patiently for their turn. Usually a sibling or two will come and play with during this time.

Natalie, Aubrey and Drew love their brothers and sisters and are almost always wanting to play with them.

Aubrey has recently started helping get them naked for me which helps speed up the production line. After they are dressed they get some more play time. The ceiling fan is the most amusing thing in their room right now.

We have learned to never take Tate's bib off before its his turn to get dressed and as soon as his shirt gets put on a new bib is placed.

After everyone is dressed this is what we are left with; a pile of dirty laundry that will get washed that night, four empty bottles and four wet diapers. We have a diaper genie in their room but have learned to just walk them to the garage where we keep a grocery bag and then take it to the trash once its full. We would be emptying out the diaper genie daily.

It is then tummy time (which they are NOT big fans of) or they are moved out to the living room for some sort of contraption time.

So that is our solo morning routine. My favorite time of the day, besides bedtime, is after lunch has been served. Everyone is then ready for the day. Bottles are usually made. I don't have to prepare another meal for a couple of hours and we can just play.

And now you just get some cute pictures to view!

We are now getting giggles along with the smiles and they found mommy very funny or they were laughing at me because they were suppose to be napping and I gave in for some play time!

Almost time for some sort of haircut Mr. Rylan

Natalie & Rylan

And Isabella's hair is just plain wild!! This is how it is in the mornings after she goes to bed with wet hair and I don't think she is a fun of me showing it to the world.

Dr. Drew trying to figure out why we have a fussy Izzie. Diagnoses: bewitching hour.

Christmas Round 2 & 3

It is the day after Christmas and it feels so good to start regrouping after the holidays. It always makes me a little sad that after the hustle and bustle of December the holiday just seems to fly by. I kind of miss the college days when winter break was three weeks long and it really was a vacation from life. But this year I am okay that we need to put things back in order; get the house picked up, gifts put in their new home, a good vacuuming after all the busyness of the last couple of days, back to eating healthy foods and most importantly getting kids back on their nap and bedtime routines! So before we get back to all the normalcy I need to recap our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Usually on Christmas Eve we go over to my moms house but this year between a remodel project being completed at her house and the quads being so little we decided to have it at our house. My brother and his family were unable to make it because their son had been running a fever the night before and we can't take that chance with the babies. I did tell my mom that they could move Christmas to her house and we would stay home but no one wanted to get the cold that Axel had. We missed them terribly and wished they could have joined us. Everyone came over around 3 and we sent the big kids & dogs outside to run off some energy. Then the girls convinced Grandma to play their new princess game and grandma quickly talked Aubrey into asking me if it was time to open gifts. Even a glass of wine didn't make dressing up as a princess fun for Grandma!! We gave the quads baths after their 2:00 feed so that we wouldn't have to stop in the middle of dinner/gifts to bathe them. After some appetizers and some Nickelodon dance on the Wii it was time for another round of gifts. The girls got a doll house from grandma & grandpa and I am so excited to play house with them. We had a wonderful time with my family and I am excited for the days when the kids are old enough to go off and play with their new toys so the adults can get in some card playing after gift opening. Just as we were cleaning up from dinner my work called me to tell me I could have Christmas Day off because we were overstaffed. I was one happy mommy.

Auntie, Izzie & Aubrey

I heart bows with these girls. Just wish we got to leave the house more often so they could wear them. I have a hard time putting them on when we spend our days at home.

Uncle Jess pile up

Love this picture. They are playing Santa's gift of the Wii and they look exactly alike.

Rides

Tate hoping the big box is his!

Mommy even got some cuddle time with Isabella

Grandma Pat didn't want to play princess but she will dress like this!?!

The babies gave us the most wonderful Christmas gift of sleeping from 8pm to 7am. It amazes me that we are already past the multiple waking up each night because of the babies. We actually get up more at night with the big girls than we do with anyone else. We haven't figured out why 2 four year olds can't tuck themselves back in after using the bathroom at night. It was also so fun to see how excited the girls were when we told them that mommy didn't have to go to work for the day. We dressed everyone up and went to Christmas mass. Drew was way overtired and was already asking if we were "all done" even before the first reading but we made it til the end.We have an annual Christmas tradition in the Lesnau house of finding the open Starbucks on Christmas Day. This started before we had kids and has continued each year. Some years Paul goes by himself, sometimes we go as a family and on the years I work Paul takes the kids and they bring me coffee at work. So after mass coffee awaited us and along the way we found an open grocery store. Since I was suppose to work we had not planned a Christmas meal and we were glad there was one store open because now we would not have to have tuna sandwiches for dinner!

Tinker Toy fun

Awww...my girls are at the age of wanting to paint their own nails. So not ready for this!

All she wanted for Christmas was real make-up. They grow up way to fast.

Naps were had by all kiddos when we got home while mom and dad spent time listening to Christmas music on the ipad and talking to family back home in MN. Once the kids woke it was time for some serious play time. We ended the evening with a yummy dinner and a birthday party for Jesus. It was a wonderful day spent with our family and I can't wait to see what next Christmas will look like with 4 sixteen month olds. I think next year we will just wrap a whole bunch of boxes with big bows and the quads should be completely satisfied!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and now may the clean up and resolutions commence.

Time to make cake. We had a cherry cake with two flavors of frosting. cotton candy and chocolate mint.

Amazing how those fingers just happen to get frosting on them.

Opps the sprinkles came out really fast!

Time for a birthday party. Happy Birthday Jesus

Steak/Shrimp Dinner

A Merry Christmas Eve

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We are enjoying our California Christmas but oh how we long for the Minnesota Christmas we had last year even though we did not see snow the entire two week we were there! I have to work on Christmas Day so we started celebrating early and this was not a disappointment to the kids at all and it was so great turning on the news this morning to hear how early the stores were opening today and I was so thrilled that I was done shopping and the gifts were all ready opened!! I don't like crowds or rude people and there are way to much of that out there today.

Our first born, Bailey

Aubrey is always asking to hold her babies

Kenzie

Stealing cookies....

But then realized mom was watching so he decided to ask if he could have one!

Needed to hold her other sister.

Yesterday we woke to wind and lots of rain and it was quickly decided that the babies would not be going to church. Paul was out of the house by 6:45 to go get us a Starbucks. What an amazing guy I have and let's just say the morning looked a tad bit brighter as I sipped my yummy coffee that only had to be reheated twice before I finished it! I took the big kids to church while Paul stayed home with the babies and watched football finished wrapping the remaining gifts. On the way home the kids and I stopped and picked up clam chowder bread bowls for lunch. We looked like drowned rats by the time we got home. It was then time for the big kids to take naps before the festivities got started. Once they woke they were ready to start some serious unwrapping but much to their dismay babies needed to be fed. We did have a surprise visitor right after the babies were full of milk. Santa came knocking on our windows and if only you could have seen 2 four year olds and a two year old running around from window to window trying to figure out who it was. Our doorbell (which has been disconnected since the babies have come home) rang and when Natalie opened the door she found three packages left by Santa. Their Christmas jammies had been delivered by the man in the red suit. Christmas could now begin in the Lesnau house. Unfortunately daddy missed the whole thing because he was using the "restroom"!!!

Santa projects from Grandma Lesnau

The one Christmas cookie I made this year...peanut butter balls (Yes, I am pumping while making cookies. Sometimes there is just not enough hours in the day!)

So tempting...

couldn't resist.

We giggle over so many things that we shouldn't but we are only four what do you expect?!?

Only some of our Christmas cards. The rest are in a pile, will need a bigger tree next year.

 

 

Our seven

Santa just came!!!

The kids got way more than they needed, stayed up much pass their bedtime and woke a bit on the crabby side but Santa came so it was another exciting morning in our home. Most of the gifts from last night have found a temporary home to make room for more gifts under the tree as we celebrate with my family today. Tomorrow we will celebrate the real reason for the season...the birth of Jesus. Since the girls were little we have always baked Jesus a cake and allowed the kids to put as many sprinkles on it that they need to. A whole bottle may have been used a time or two but He is worth it!

The babies ready for some gift opening

We are going to pretend they sat like this the entire time during gifts!

Daddy passed out all the gifts.

Aubrey gave out hugs and thank yous after every gift

Daddy and his oldest

Rylan helping

Mommy was so excited to get a cruisnart baby food maker!

Drew was so excited to get a balance bike

You know your kids are tired when they fall asleep half in bed!

Happy Birthday Jesus and a Merry Christmas to All.